A History of Paleontology Illustration (Life of the Past)

"Writing from the perspective of an art historian, Jane P. Davidson traces the history of paleontology illustration from the fifteenth century to the present, combining discussion of these images as works of representative art with candid assessments of the artists." "The book covers drawings of fossils, restorations of plants and animals, and ecological restoration in painting, drawing, sculpture, and in display restorations such as dioramas. Although the subject of the book is chiefly scientific illustration, it delves briefly into "popular" illustration such as that found in children's textbooks, popular introductions to paleontology and geology, museum and other public displays, and movies." "Davidson considers the paleontologist's role as an artist, the interaction between artist and paleontologist, realism in paleontology art, and the persistence of invalid representations. She also discusses the role that nineteenth-century scientific journals such as The American Naturalist and The American Journal of Science played in the history of paleontology illustration." "Both a history of science and of representation, this is a fascinating chronicle of the interaction between art and science."--BOOK JACKET.

Beyond its central premise, the book can be read through the connected lenses of Nonfiction. Those themes offer useful points of attention as the characters, ideas, or world develop, especially where the book complicates the expectations of its primary category.